me up first.'

Then he took to scowling, and cried in an angry tone, 'Give me the
treasure, I say, or it will be the worse for you'; but Elzevir would
not let him speak to me that way, and broke in roughly, 'Let the boy up,
he is sure-footed and will not slip. 'Tis his treasure, and he shall do
with it as he likes: only that thou shalt have a third of it when we
have sold it.'

Then he: ''Tis not his treasure--no, nor yours either, but mine, for it
is in my well, and I have let you get it. Yet I will give you a
half-share in it; but as for this boy, what has he to do with it? We will
give him a golden guinea, and he will be richly paid for his pains.'

'Tush,' cries Elzevir, 'let us have no more fooling; this boy shall have
his share, or I will know the reason why.'

'Ay, you shall know the reason, fair enough,' answers the turnkey, 'and
'tis because your name is Block, and there is a price of 50 upon your
head, and 20 upon this boy's. You thought to outwit me, and are yourself
outwitted; and here I have you in a trap, and neither leaves this room,
except with hands tied, and bound for the gallows, unless I first have
the jewel safe in my purse.'

On that I whipped the diamond back quick into the little parchment bag,
and thrust both down snug into my breeches-pocket, meaning to have a
fight for it, anyway, before I let it go. And looking up again, I saw the
turnkey's hand on the butt of his pistol, and cried, 'Beware, beware! he
draws on you.' But before the words were out of my mouth, the turn-key
had his weapon up and levelled full at Elzevir. 'Surrender,' he cries,
'or I shoot you dead, and the 50 is mine,' and never giving time for
answer, fires. Elzevir stood on the other side of the well-mouth, and it
seemed the other could not miss him at such a distance; but as I blinked
my eyes at the flash, I felt the bullet strike the iron chain to which I
was holding, and saw that Elzevir was safe.

The turnkey saw it too, and flinging away his pistol, sprang round the
well and was at Elzevir's throat before he knew whether he was hit or
not. I have said that the turnkey was a tall, strong man, and twenty
years the younger of the two; so doubtless when he made for Elzevir, he
thought he would easily have him broken down and handcuffed, and then
turn to me. But he reckoned without his host, for though Elzevir was the
shorter and older man, he was wonderfully strong, and seasoned as a
salted thong. Then they hugged on